Thinking about it, I wonder if you look at most people's diets, what % would be vegan food... Even someone who eats meat would have a high amount of vegan food. So 80% vegan is meaningless really, if you think about a stir fry or a pasta dish, how much non-vegan food would go into it... a roast dinner, again, lots of stuffing and vegetables... most people are a high % vegan even without trying.

What's the 20 percent? Is your friend vegan until steak night (dry humor)? Or, does your friend periodically slip up? I believe you are vegan or you are not vegan. If someone is on the road to veganism, but having minor setbacks, I still applaud their effort and try to assist them if possible. I'm 99.999% vegan. SMILEZ

I don't know what she was thinking, but from the context I think she meant that she ate vegan meals 80% of the time. Weird, huh? I for one would rather NOT have people know I'm vegan. Some people get really defensive and others shun you because they don't feel free to eat what they want in front of you. Others turn into the food police -- or worse, constantly urge you to eat "just a bite -- it won't hurt anything". So mostly I just keep my mouth shut about it. I have a lot of hunting and fishing friends, and the other day one of them posted a really derogatory cartoon about vegans on Facebook. He doesn't know I'm vegan, but I wonder if he would have posted it anyway. It's not like I go around trying to convert people, but I think that's what they fear. Seriously, it's almost the same reaction I get when people hear that I am a born-again Christian. Anybody here have the same experience?

Richard wrote:Thinking about it, I wonder if you look at most people's diets, what % would be vegan food... Even someone who eats meat would have a high amount of vegan food. So 80% vegan is meaningless really, if you think about a stir fry or a pasta dish, how much non-vegan food would go into it... a roast dinner, again, lots of stuffing and vegetables... most people are a high % vegan even without trying.

Nicely stated. And I'll add that taking a relaxed approach to judgment is the healthiness choice of all. Just like what other people think of me is none of my business, what they're eating isn't any of my business, either. And what I eat is none of theirs. Our percentage of "veganness" is not our percentage of goodness as a human being. It's a choice.

Ojibwa wrote:It's not like I go around trying to convert people, but I think that's what they fear. Seriously, it's almost the same reaction I get when people hear that I am a born-again Christian. Anybody here have the same experience?

Yes and yes!

I think people are afraid of feeling guilty. I began to eat "kosher" about 13 yrs ago and never looked back. Not because I felt I was going to hell for eating things I shouldn't, but because it wasn't healthy to eat those things. It was just common sense to me.

My family and friends had a HUGE problem with that. It took a lot of THEM getting used to it, for whatever reason. Simply denying something what others are going to accept is like insulting to them or something. I learned its like that when you're shopping too. If you're looking at something people watch you like a hawk to see what you choose. If you look at something they're looking at and walk away before they do, its like they take that as a hint that its not "cool" so they just snub their nose at it and move on too.

You would think in a free thinking society, or one that CLAIMS to be, things like that wouldn't be an issue.

Ojibwa wrote:One of my Facebook friends posted a recipe recently, and said that she is "about 80%" vegan. Is that even possible? Isn't that like being a little bit pregnant? Has anybody else here run into people who claim to be partially vegan?

Yeeea it seems a little silly to me, but I figure they're trying I guess, and maybe they thought carefully about that 20% and/or are actively working to replace that 20% with some veg friendly stuff!

There are a lot of negative remarks here, but I think it is great if a person is 80% vegan. If most non-vegans ate animal products only 20% of the time (equivalent to about six days a month) this would have more of a positive effect on the environment than all current vegans combined, especially if on their non-vegan days these people ate only bio-dynamic or organic animal products. I would think that in the fight for a cleaner environment and less cruelty to animals every little bit counts.

Veganism shouldn't be a cult! If you believe people should be vegans for whatever reason, you should be happy when someone takes the first steps, so lets not be so snobbish about it.

maus wrote:There are a lot of negative remarks here, but I think it is great if a person is 80% vegan. If most non-vegans ate animal products only 20% of the time (equivalent to about six days a month) this would have more of a positive effect on the environment than all current vegans combined, especially if on their non-vegan days these people ate only bio-dynamic or organic animal products. I would think that in the fight for a cleaner environment and less cruelty to animals every little bit counts.

Veganism shouldn't be a cult! If you believe people should be vegans for whatever reason, you should be happy when someone takes the first steps, so lets not be so snobbish about it.

I've come across this kind of thing a fair bit - more with vegetarians. I'm a strict vegetarian, but I do eat free-range eggs and dairy yoghurt (something which I always disclose). I've met people that have said 'I'm pretty much a vegetarian', 'I was pretty much vegan last year', 'I'm vegetarian, but I eat chicken and fish', 'I'm vegetarian but I eat fish and I occasionally eat meat'. I remember one guy telling me that he is 'vegetarian' just because he watched an animal rights video.

It seems as though there are a lot of people that view vegetarianism as being a purely external thing - something they can impress people with. Almost something like 'I can bench press 100kg'. It goes against why I became a vegetarian, which was because I thought it would be a good personal challenge and a good thing to do for the environment and for animals. I've thought more about not disclosing the fact that I am vegetarian at all, in order to continue this personally - without it being something so external or approval-seeking.

Yea once you tell someone you are vegetarian or vegan its like "coming out of the closet". No matter the initial reaction, if you are genuine about it, its GOING to become an issue sooner or later, whether positive or negative.

I am very open and honest about being vegan as well as being Pagan. And living in the midwest they don't understand at all. I explain my reason, get funny looks and get asked well do you at least eat eggs? LOL. Found it is easier to be out of the closet than in and if someone doesn't want to be around me because of my diet or religion, well they know where the door is

I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

maus wrote:There are a lot of negative remarks here, but I think it is great if a person is 80% vegan. If most non-vegans ate animal products only 20% of the time (equivalent to about six days a month) this would have more of a positive effect on the environment than all current vegans combined, especially if on their non-vegan days these people ate only bio-dynamic or organic animal products. I would think that in the fight for a cleaner environment and less cruelty to animals every little bit counts.

Veganism shouldn't be a cult! If you believe people should be vegans for whatever reason, you should be happy when someone takes the first steps, so lets not be so snobbish about it.

I agree. If someone is taking steps to be completely plant based I would applaud them. Not everyone will drop animal products over night.

But considering it's about a recipe, 80% is definitely not a vegan option.

MikeVanTso wrote:If you cling to this term "vegan" as an attribute to yourself, you're doing it for the wrong reasons.

Dear sweet baby Jesus, it can't be said enough.

Would have been nice if the woman who was here a few weeks ago proclaiming she was "more vegan than most of us" despite eating meat and eggs would have been able to see this line. Alas, I fear she's moved on to find a new home where people will accept a meat-eating vegan

more vegan than us?? what have I missed ahha someone please link me to this it sounds fantastic!

klaatu21 wrote:sensai ross, forgive me for doubting you and myself

Mini Forklift Ⓥ wrote:There's only one thing I'm riding at 6am, and it's not a bike!